


The Bashful Scientist and The Stoic Archer

by agirlintheville



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 07:32:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4171278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agirlintheville/pseuds/agirlintheville
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint narrates his life like a romance novel, and Natasha gives him a push into the real world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bashful Scientist and The Stoic Archer

_The archer stood broodingly in the corner, watching the crowd intently. The guests were dressed to impress, sparkling in their finery, practically begging for his attention. But the archer only had eyes for one man. His target._

_The man was standing in a circle of his colleagues, part of the group, but at the same time outside of it. It was as if he was intentionally distancing himself from the chattering, glittering guests. As if he somehow knew he was different from them, above them…better than them. The archer narrowed his eyes, intrigued. How could one man distinguish himself so clearly in this crowd of fluttering fools and jewels? The archer knew he had to find a way to get closer to the man, find out his secret…_

“Oh my fucking god.”

Clint jumped, nearly dropping his mug of eggnog. “Shit, Natasha! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

She snorted disdainfully, “You are a spy, I shouldn’t have been able to sneak up on you. And seriously? What the fuck was that crap you were just saying?”

“Uh, I wasn’t saying anything.”

“No? You didn’t just call all of our friends fluttering fools and jewels?”

Clint turned red. “No, no, I was just reciting something I’d read.”

“You’re an idiot if you think I believe that. Who were you staring at?”

“No one, god, leave me alone.”

“No. Carol is busy hitting on Rhodey, and Melinda said she won’t talk to me until I apologize for the laundry thing. So I’m bothering you.”

“The laundry thing?”

She waved her hand dismissively, “It was a thing. She’ll get over it. Who were you staring at?”

“Nobody!”

She snorted again, "Fine, I’ll find out for myself.” She leaned against the wall next to Clint. “Let’s see someone who isn’t dressed up like a fluttering fool. Someone distinctive.”

“Oh my god, stop.”

“What? You were the one talking out loud. I told you reading those romance novels will mush your brains. Now who is it?”

“No one!”

Just then, a burst of laughter caught their attention. Across the room, Bruce was laughing, one hand on his knee, and the other supporting himself on Tony’s shoulder. Tony was waving one hand expressively as he continued to say something to Bruce and Steve who was on his other side. They saw Tony pause, then finish with a flourish, and Bruce laughed again, this time clutching his stomach.

Natasha turned back, ready to continue needling Clint when she caught him in a rare moment of openness. His lips were curved gently in a soft smile, but his eyes were sad, wistful and longing. She stared at him until he noticed her attention. Then in the blink of an eye, his expression changed into a scowl.

“Leave me alone.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Whatever.”

Clint slumped against the wall and glared down into his mug. Natasha leaned next to him, waiting. Finally, he sighed and his tense posture loosened. She waited a minute more, then asked, “Does he know?”

“God, no, of course he doesn’t know. I mean, you didn’t even know.”

"That’s true. But now I do."

Clint shook his head, “I can usually hold it together. But I...I have had a lot of eggnog tonight.”

“Yeah." She paused for a moment and then added, "But you know...so has he."

Clint looked at her, then glanced back at Bruce. Quickly, he handed her his eggnog and straightened his shirt. _The stalwart archer knew the time had come to approach his target. He was calm, confident, and determined to sweep the man off his feet._

"That’s the spirit! Go get him!"

Clint strode over to Bruce stood. Natasha sipped his abandoned eggnog, watching as they talked. She smiled when the two men left Tony and Steve, and wandered outside to the balcony.

_The gorgeous spy smiled secretively to herself for a job well done. The bashful scientist and stoic archer had been pining away for months, but now there was happiness on the horizon. Patting herself on the back, she wandered away towards her next target._

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick little something on this lovely weekend. Let me know how it reads! :)


End file.
